


Carry You Home

by Kat_Greenleaf



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Fluff, Gender-Neutral Apprentice (The Arcana), I've left gender up to the reader :), Multi, Other, TW: internal body shame, overweight apprentice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:22:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25868137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_Greenleaf/pseuds/Kat_Greenleaf
Summary: After a late night, Muriel carries a tired MC home, and they tuck into bed to sleep soundly.
Relationships: Apprentice/Muriel (The Arcana), Muriel (The Arcana)/Reader, Muriel (The Arcana)/You
Comments: 2
Kudos: 86





	Carry You Home

Walking home with Muriel is always wonderful. The forest is alive no matter what time of day, whether it was the birds or crickets chirping and the trees rustling. Of course, you didn’t usually have to actually walk, either. Especially on nights such as tonight, when you both had been visiting with Asra and Nadia into the late hours of the night, Muriel worried over you walking through the woods in the dark. He knew you had magic and could light the way, but often you were exhausted after visits, and he knew all the forest paths by heart. So rather than let you try to navigate the trail exhausted and in the dark, Muriel is carrying you piggyback. 

As always, you had protested him carrying you. You know you aren’t a small person. Despite how much shorter you are than Muriel, you might be almost as heavy as he is. He’s strong -- much stronger than you will ever be, you know -- but you’ve never been very comfortable with people picking you up. It makes you nervous, and very self-conscious. Hell, you can’t even sit on his lap comfortably, though you would have to be hard pressed to deny any of your friends that wanted to sit on your own. But Muriel had insisted. Each time, he needed to convince you to allow him to carry you. Nadia and Asra had been able to help this time, because, really, you could never tell Nadia she was wrong. 

After Nadia’s prompting, Muriel had cupped your cheeks and promised you, same as always, that you weren’t too heavy for him, and he loved you just the way you were. He wanted to keep you safe and carry you home. 

“I’ll never learn my way back if you keep carrying me,” you had sighed. 

Muriel simply kissed your forehead and promised, like he always does, that he’ll carry you home forever if he needs to. You melted, even more unable to ever deny Muriel the things he asks for. 

Now, as Muriel carries you through the woods, you have given up being upset about it for the night. He’s warm, and his hands are secure on your legs as he holds you securely. You rest your head against his shoulder and relax, even knowing that your full weight will now rest on him. His grip doesn’t falter. Muriel can feel it when you finally relax, and your trust in him makes his heart swell. His cheeks flush, but it’s nothing new when it comes to you. 

You both finally arrive at the hut, and Muriel ducks carefully through the threshold. Inanna is waiting for you on her pile of furs. She doesn’t jump up, but her eyes open and her ears perk up. She waits patiently until Muriel sets you down on the bed to jump up and trot over, sniffing around to check you both over. Muriel scratches her gently behind the ears. He glances over at the dimming fire, and checks the wood pile. It is too low. He scratches Inanna’s ears again.

“Inanna, I’ll be back, keep MC company.”

You huff softly, “I won’t disappear while you’re out.”

Muriel simply smiles and cups your cheek briefly before striding back out of the hut.

Inanna jumps up onto the bed with you even before the door has fully closed. She curls up against your front, immediately taking her rightful spot as the little spoon. You smile and begin to pet her, dozing happily with a warm, soft body to hold. Inanna stretched out is just about your size, and you love to lay with Inanna like this, able to reach and pet all the places your dear wolf loves. 

When the door to the hut opens again several minutes later, Inanna is off the bed in a moment, ready to greet or attack whomever has entered the home. But it’s just Muriel, carrying a stack of firewood. She trots around him as he builds the fire back up, and happily curls up in front of it as he scratches her behind her ears. He walks back over to the bed, and smiles, reaching down to gently brush his fingers through your hair. You smile and shuffle closer, wrapping your arms around him where you can reach, his thighs, and hug him close. 

“Come to bed,” you hum. 

Muriel feels his face light up red, and carefully pulls your hands from around him before climbing up onto the bed behind you. He gathers you up in his arms and lets you roll over to face him before he holds you tight to his chest. You grin and press a kiss to his chest before tipping your head up to kiss him, cupping his cheek. 

“Goodnight, love,” Muriel murmurs, kissing your forehead. 

You smile and rest your head against his shoulder, relaxing. Inanna jumps up on the bed and curls up at your back, and you can feel Muriel’s amused huff. You smile a little wider, and close your eyes, content, and drift to sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this originally with my own Apprentice written in, if you'd like to also read that version (though it isn't much different), leave a comment and I'll add it as a second chapter. :)


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